The Lowell Sun from Lowell, Massachusetts • Page 13

2 TUK LOWKLL SUN, lV listings. And no nw. THUKSDAY, Al'KLL .1371 lltllllllllllllllllllllllHIIIIIIIIIIIIlllltllllllllllllllllllllllllLlllllllllltlllllilM Lowelltown A slim, seductive, raven haired glamour girl who can hold her own piclorially as well RS bi5lrlOnlcnlly with Sophia Glnn l.ollohrlgUta and DtIbIUo Dnnlot, while bonstiug opulent unil impeccable schooled 2'A ocIhvo mezzo soprano voice lo negotiate llic most florid bel cuiito pyrotechnics and Tilt the vnsl cavern of Ihe Metropolitan Opern House with golden sound Rosalind lillns from l.ovell stunningly epitomizes the new breed of home grown prima donna (hat Is rapidly building a bridge for Mozart, Rossini and Verdi across an ocean and a generation gap. In 15 years of operatic stardom, Miss Elias has sung 35 leading mezzo roles for the Metropolitan in New York, llic San Francisco Opera, the Tea tro Colon in Buenos Aires, llic famous Salzburg Festivals, the Scottish Opera, and the opera companies of Monte Carlo, Geneva and Marseilles; has recorded nearly 28 LP's for botli the RCA and CBS labels (two of them voted "best of the year" by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences); lias soloed with leading symphony orchestras throughout the United Stales and Europe and has given several hundred SRO recitals from coast to coast. She has also figured prominently in a number of headline musical events: as co star with Leontync Price in the performance of Samuel Barber's "Antony and Cleopatra" that opened the new Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center; as the first mezzo ever to undertake the soprano role of Zerlhia in "Don Giovanni" (in the new production of the Mozart opera that highlighted Ihe Mel's 10li!) 6fi season); in the title rote of "Carmen" for a new production designed by the great French painter Bernard Buffet; and in the pivotal role of Erika for the world premiere (at (he Metropolitan) and the subsequent European premiere (in Salzburg) of the Earber McnoUi "Vanessa." TTpt remarltaMv rtiversified re nnmmniiiumnmnniiiiuiiiMiiimiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiii honors Chonibln of "The Marriage of Figaro" and Sibel in "Fa the elegant Ocloviait in "Dcr Rosenkavalier," the haughty Prince Orlofskv in "Flcder maus," and the fairy tale Grelcl's Hansel.

Her astonishing versatility is further displayed in brief but triumphant forays into musical comedy in noei owam Lowell's own Metopera stor, Rosolind Ellas will be honored today at ihe Mayor's Office at City Holl tribute to her constant boosting of Hometown throughout thD world. "Die Walkurc" ia Rossini's "La Cenerenfola," from Mozart's "Cos! Fan. Tulle" to Salnl Sacns' "Samson Delila," from Bellini's "Norma" Id Mo iissorg sky's "Boris Godou nov." She has alsD made a par tieuar specialty of "boy" roles that show off a pair of opera's shapeliest gams in tights and pcrtoire ranges from Wagners satin ontcnes: as me iuL an n. Jllllin HiiuinnnnnmniiUMnnnuiunntniiiitiini iimiinuiuMu.iu. untintnt mmim nut satin britches: as me iovc sick enchanting i I i mm ah in 'til'; HQffiJfltW AT Js ij' Burnett Show HcHiimcSlnci mini 11 11111111111111 iiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiimiiiiiimiiiiiiiiniiimiiii its Rosalind "IVillcrsnccl" nt Iho Music Tent in lievcrly, ami zany in "Sour of Norway" (idler Urleg! in SI.

i'aul. luring the 11)7(1 VI sen.son, Miss Wins lakes on another formidable "pants part" In the litie role (written for the celc hralcij cuslruto tenor Seneshio) of Handel's ''Orlando," being given its long nwailod first New York performance by The tlaii del Society at Carnegie Hall. She appeared for ihe first limn in New York in early March us charlotte, the tragic heroine nf "Wcnlicr," when llic Met revived 1lie Massenet opurn after years' absence mid will sine in the first coast to coast broadcast of this opera. (The rale was last sung at Ihe Met hi 1S10 by another great lady of sang coincidentnlly from Massa chusctls, the unforgettable Gerald iiic Ferrari Horn on Friday the 13th, Rosalind Ellns, whose name lias letters in it, is the 13th and voungest child of a closo knil Lehancsc Americun family, and worked up to operatic stardom the hard way, She might indeed he described as "a million dollar baby from She fivc and tcn cent slore," since presiding over the ribbon counter In the Woolworth's of her native Lowell was one of several odd jobs she undertook to subsidize vocal studies undertaken against vigorous parental opposition. (Others included hush slinging in a Lowell luncheonette and cashiering in a drugstore where she gained 10 pounds consuming all the gum and candy at the register to keep from freezing.) Until she made her own Metropolitan Opera debut in 1964, she had, in lact, never seen the first act of an opera, since the only way she could afford to get into performances at Iho Boston Opera House was bv mingling with intermission crowds on the sired outside.

(She still likes to reminisce about the lime she wangled her way into the balcony to hear Ezio Pimm sing "Dan Giovani," only to be ignominDUsly chased out by an usher just as the great basso was fo begin bis famous "Champagne Aria." Or the time wnen, as unnuu, Kmh pnuih hlucii'iuuh fT llir typu lieriidiililewhliiiiii micrtiscopc. THE Rise Sloven her great idol then as now flung Iho flngerrring Don Jose had given her across the. footlights and a wildly palpitating lass from Lowell managed to catch it, only to he overtaken on Ihe way up Ihe aisle by a stage manager gruffly dcmanduig its Immediate return Hnd informing her that 'the Metropolitan Opera Company can't afford lo give a souvenir to every sluRC struck school kid." As a liny lot, Rosalind was always singing around Ihe big Elias house, and although they all knew their father would be horrified at the mere thought of having a daughter of his on the stage, two nf her older sisters connived with her lo arrange for her first voice lessons with Lillian Sullivan, a local teacher. When she graduated from high school, she auditioned for and won a scholarship at the New England Conservatory of Music, which her mother and sisters persuaded her father to let her accept. At the Conservatory her voice teacher was Gladys Miller, and Boris Goldovsky conducted an operatic workshop in which she gained stage experience.

This led to three summer scholarships at the opera school run by Goldovsky at Tanglewnod and engagements with Goldov sky's New England Opera Theater in "Pique Dame," "Eugene Onegin" and "ltigoletlo." She was also awarded a partial scholarship by the New England Conservatory far graduate work in Europe and spent years in Milan and Rome, where she sliKlicu nnuer in mummum minimum i today SUN vale teachers and at the historic Santa Cecilia Academy. Forced by her mother's Illness 10 return to Ihe Unilcd Stales, she moved to New York to study with Idellc Patterson, and managed to live in a dumpy West Ride hotel on an American Theater Wing scholarship and weekend choir jobs in synagogues and churches of various denominations until Max Rudolf, who had been a judge for I lie American Theater Wing and was an assistant manager at the Metropolitan Opera, encouraged her lo participate in the 1954 Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air. Who I her or not she would have been a finalist no one will ever know, for after the first round of auditions she was offered a contract to sing one of the Valkyries in "Die Walkure" at the opera house thai season. She made her debut as Grimgerde on Feb 23, 1251, and seems lo have distinguished herself even in this anonymous role as "Ihe Valkyrie who sneezed loudly during the performance." It was not until the 1957 58 season that, after singing a number of small roles, Rosalind Elias made her stunning entry into operatic big time as Erika in the world premiere of "Vanessa." Although not (he title role, hers was the weightiest in ihe liarhcr Menotli opera in terms bo lb of singing and dramatic content and her masterful creation of it brought down the house and proved Ihe turning point in elevating her lo stardom. Howard Tatibman wrote in the New York Times that' Rosiland Elias has the nmnmimuum tin un, HOW TO GET THROUGH THE WEEK IK 5 MINUTES.

We're nut lulkiiif; nlimil a of liviiiR. We're, limiting slut omen to 1 lie. TV week. In tlie. TV jiioKiam ifetlitln.

In The Sun it's callctlTV Seven Days, Antl the nice lliinjc about it ist, Mniulav always follows Sunday. lay always follows Mon rlay. And lilte lint, ajl lie. way lo Sahirday. Suvli is iiul always ihe ease wil TV lisl iiii's, There are.

some ihal have various portions nf Tuesday, fur instance, follow inj( e.ieli oiliei This can no on ami un lot jviKiisaiHi pages mill you linally miinu up with Wed nesdiiy. chance of her young "f1 reported, "IWsallnd 15 as come close lo stealing the show. The llcrald Trlbune summed up. "Rosalind Ellas promoted licr with the rolo of Erika lo the rank of prlmadonna. From then on success fo lowed success: a memorable Dorabclla In Alfred Lunts "Cos! Fan Tulle" and a 1' one mi In the Mot's 10EO opening night "Nahucco" that earned her a Saturday Review cover; the first operatic recording in RCA's new Home studios; 12 performances with the Israel philharmonic under Schrppers; a "Carmen" telecast tor Ihe BBC a Beethoven Oth with Szcll and the Vienna Philharmonic the Salubcrg Festival, and so on, Today Uosollnd Ellas is one of the busiest primadonnas on the world musical scene in opera, concerts and recordings.

But, like the comedian who has always yearned lo play Hamlet, she nurses a secret, still unfulfilled ambition lo play a non musical acting role in a Broadway stage or television drama. Outside of the concert hall and opera house, Miss Elias rarely listens lo classical music. But she is a devotee of Broadway show tunes, concert jaiz and rock for dancing. From her Arabian forbears she has inherited both enthusiasm as a spectator and proficiency as a performer in the ancient and honorable art oE belly dancing She is also a gourmet cook of Lebanese specialties. After a seven year, round the world courtship, Miss Elias married Lebanese American attorney Zuliayr Moghrab! in ihe knot tied first by a New York judge and later by a Moslem sheik.

The Moghrabis have a fairy tale French provincial ficldstone chateau, with an immense landscaped swimming pool, on 17 acres of Dutchess County countryside at Clinton Corners, not far from Roosevelt's Hyde Park, approached through an allee of toll poplars that might well be part of an operatic stage set. iinmiu minium mimmuiuii Tliesr. arc. liuv hooks thai can't lit more tliim few hours of lisl inns on each iwfic. TV Seven Hays is bifi.

Ituch rlay lias a whole page, to itself. So wben yow want, to lind out whaL'n on the Wcdncstlny iilfjht lute. show, you tniick look svenr (he. end ot Iho Wednesday jiaRC instead of IryinR lo track it down, TV Seven Oavs saves von niaylie llti, seeontls every now and Ihen, Not nitieli, And almost never ei ui'ial. lis jus! nicer soiiuliow.

THE SUNDAY SUN.